[Poultry]

i) Wingfield, W. and G.W. Johnson. The Poultry Book. Orr and Co., 1853, frontispiece and 21 chromolithographed plates, one plate loose; ii) Meall, L.A. Moubray's Treatise on Domestic and Ornamental Poultry. Hall, Virtue and Co., 1854, frontispiece and 9 plates; iii) Wright, Lewis. The New Book of Poultry. Cassell, [1902], inscribed with a note of provenance by Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire (see below), frontispiece and 45 plates, including 29 in colour; iv) Flatt, C.A. Poultry Keeping. Methuen, 1920, possibly author's own copy with extensive manuscript revisions, dust-jacket, dust-jacket fragile; v) Prynne, Michael. Egg-Shells. Barrie and Rockliff, 1963, inscribed by the author, dust-jacket; vi) Dohner, Janet Vorwald. The Encyclopedia of Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001, first edition, dust-jacket; together with 7 others, 8vo and 4to, each with the Duchess's bookplate, some spotting and browning, some bindings rubbed, dust-jackets worn at extremities (13)

iii) Albert Ernest Wragg, poultry breeder whose contribution on the Redcap appears pp.429-430; by descent to Tom Wragg, librarian at Chatsworth, then gifted to the Duchess

Condition is as described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In 2011 the Duchess wrote:

"If second childhood means going back to first loves in old age then I am deep in it. As children, my sisters and I kept poultry and sold the eggs for pocket money... The behaviour of poultry is like human behaviour and it is just as predictable..." (All in One Basket (2011), pp.44-45).